FHWA's Every Day Counts Initiative

This article briefly describes the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) new initiative, Every Day Counts (EDC). This initiative supports the speedy incorporation of innovative technology and solutions to speed up project delivery. Priority technologies that are intended to be implemented on a fast-track schedule over the next 2 years include: warm mix asphalt, adaptive signal control technology, safety edge, geosynthetic reinforced soil integrated bridge system, and prefabricated bridge elements and systems (PBES). The author focuses on the latter, noting that one of the most common ways to accelerate bridge construction and reduce traffic congestion and costs is to use PBES to construct bridges. The PBES components are prefabricated off-site or adjacent to the final bridge alignment ahead of time, and then moved into place when needed, resulting in closure of the bridge and highway for only a short duration. High performance concrete (HPC), already in use in many bridge projects, lends itself to PBES uses, as it enhances durability. The EDC initiative provides additional incentive to continue the national implementation of HPC that state departments of transportation have been emphasizing. The author concludes that PBES using HPC elements will continue to demonstrate that bridges can be built better, faster, and safer, all in a manner that results in beneficial benefit/cost ratios when taking into account road user costs. The article includes a photo of a self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) in use to assist with placement of PBES. Readers are referred to the FHWA website (www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts/) for more information.